Trials weekend

If you were ever thinking about having an ante post bet on any of the big races at the Cheltenham Festival, then now really could be the best time to do so.

This weekend plays host to no end of Festival trials and there is bound to be a big shape up in the bookmakers’ markets come Monday morning. If your fancied selection runs well in a trial (or if some of his main market rivals run badly) the big price you were hoping for may well disappear.

One word of caution though, the ground this weekend is likely to be far more testing than it typically has been in March, so don’t discount horses that run well but are beaten, if they have previously shown improved form on better ground.

The key meeting is at Cheltenham itself, where a thrilling afternoon's action is in store. The richest race of the day is the Letheby & Christopher Chase, won last year by Nigel Twiston-Davies' Knowhere.

There is a fantastic supporting card from Prestbury Park in the shape of the Grade 2 Classic Novices' Hurdle, Wragge & Co Juvenile Novices' Hurdle, Byrne Group Cleeve Hurdle, the Grade 3 betchronicle.com Trophy Chase as well as two competitive handicaps.

There is an equally impressive card up at Doncaster, the feature of which is the £85,000 Sky Bet Chase. They too have a very strong supporting card thanks to the Grade 2 Watch All Horse Racing At skybet.com Mares' Hurdle and Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle, as well as two classy handicaps, a decent novices' chase and what usually proves to be a strong bumper.

Some of the likely participants putting their Festival credentials on the line include:

* Barbers Shop, Snoopy Loopy, Tidal Bay, Star De Mohaison and Roll Along in the Letheby and Christopher Chase (a Gold Cup trial)

* Walkon, Simarian and Reve de Sivola in the Wragge & Co Juvenile Novices Hurdle (a Triumph Hurdle trial).

* Punchestowns, Big Buck’s, Fair Along and Blazing Bailey in the Byrne Group Cleeve Hurdle (a World Hurdle trial)

* Chomba Womba in the Watch All Horse Racing At skybet.com Mares' Hurdle (a trial for the David Nicholson Hurdle)

* Junior and Cape Tribulation in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle (a trial for the race of the same name at the Festival)

We’ll be at Cheltenham on Saturday so as to be able to bring you all of the news, gossip and reaction from a meeting which is now, quite fittingly, known as Festival Trials Day.

And then on Sunday all eyes will be focused on the big meeting at Leopardstown in Ireland, featuring the AIG Europe Champion Hurdle, which has proved such a great guide to our own Champion Hurdle in recent years. There is also an important Arkle trial on the same card.

All in all, a pivotal weekend in the season, so now is the time to back your judgement. Click here for free Cheltenham Festival bets.